[Mpls] Skyway News "Governor Candidates" story.
"Governor Candidates" Am I the only who thinks that looks and sounds grammatically incorrect? Shouldn't they have used the term "gubernatorial"? You can be a "candidate for governor" but not a "governor candidate." Much like one being a "senatorial," "presidential," or "congressional," candidate rather than a "senator candidate," "president candidate," or "congressperson candidate." I wonder if the Skyways News didn't have enough space to spell out the longer word or what? I wasn't going to say anything until they used in their headline two weeks in a row. BTW, I apologize if, by some strange stroke, someone else addressed this already. Paul Lambie formerly of Lowry Hill currently in Apple Valley __ Do you Yahoo!? Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos & More http://faith.yahoo.com ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] MCDA and neighborhood activist opposition to manufactured housing
I forgot my socialist's handbook to urban planning at home, but I imagine Mr. Sittko's preferable alternative is to spend large sums of government money (see MCDA efficiency at producing housing units in the McKinsey report) to buy these properties and build large owner-occupied homes that wouldn't sell in that neighborhood if a private developer had to foot the bill. It does seem quite sneaky, doesn't it, for one private party to actually sell their property to another private party, who then in turn builds something that is popular with consumers, but doesn't necessarily have the blessing of everyone else in the neighborhood? And to think that apparently this is all done while adhering to all applicable state and city housing and zoning codes. What an outrage! Paul Lambie Former Lowry Hill resident Well Craig has one thing right. His 6th point is right on. See it = below. =20 I know the Harrison group is working hard on this specific issue and the = near term point of contention is that many of us don't want the newest = go-getter from the future-slum-lords-of-America throwing us a hurdle = before we can get our work done. The problem for us is that these projects are simply great financially = for those who have the overhead. Small upfront payment they can probably finance ..and cheaply=20 Inexpensive upkeep..manufactured home with no basement or garage and = renters who are not in a position to "rock the boat."=20 Goverment deposits the section 8 dollars into the landlords account = monthly Now layer in deferred maintenance...It is simply not a prescription = for prgress but blight. Think about it. If these are so great, let's put 'em in Kenwood and = Lowry Hill. What would that do to bordering property values? Point is you couldn't put one in Kenwood or Lowry Hill. Property values = are too high. Assuming you could fid a lot, the initial investment = collapses the Net Present Value. So like I've said before: These are great financial projects painted as = social progress. Moreover, the arguing against these is sometimes = tough. The social progress agrument appears compelling but these = purveyors of progress merely pose as the servant only to become the = master. Doing the right thing isn't always a quick fix. Craig's good point. 6. (Craig) Renters vs. homeowners - If Near North Willard Hay and = Harrison are worried about more rental housing vs. homeowner, they ought = to change their focus. Make the lots desirable to home builders/buyers. Clean up your = crime, streets, parks, and whatever else is stopping mortgage qualified = people from building/buying there. Blaming media coverage is not going to convince = more buyers to move in. ...Hey Harrison, we've got something people want: close in land/lots. If we don't get closer to what we want fast, we may lose them. Think about our current concerns with the Queen Care Manor; It could be = just a precursor. Jason Sittko Harrison __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance - Get real-time stock quotes http://finance.yahoo.com ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] MCDA and neighborhood activist opposition to affordable housing.
I had planned to post a message about Sunday's story in the Strib on manufactured housing in North Minneapolis, but Craig Miller seems to have done a pretty good job highlighting the most appalling aspects of the story. www.startribune.com/stories/462/3186295.html I must say that I continue to be absolutely and completely puzzled by the inability of anyone in this city to solve the "affordable housing crisis." Hmmm? I'm sure some of our neghborhood activists have some solutions. Paul LambieFormer Lowry Hill residentDo You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance - Get real-time stock quotes
[Mpls] Urban planning (and earthships?)
In regards to the post about the metal plating business and junkyard in Indiana, I would have to say that I believe that laws regulating noise or air pollution could probably suffice to take care of such problems without resorting to a comprehensive zoning code that dictates development rights for each parcel of land. It's a little bit of a stretch to say that building a duplex, or an apartment building for that matter, on a parcel of land zoned only for single-family detached housing is going to ruin the neighborhood and infringe upon others' rights. Minneapolis has helped to diminish the percentage of Twin Citians who reside within its borders by artificially limiting the number of housing units built. Who can make me an argument as to why someone shouldn't be able to tear down a single-family home on a standard 40 ft wide lot in Minneapolis and replace it with a duplex, or even a triplex? It's my understanding that this isn't possible to do in Minneapolis under the current zoning code without applying for a variance. It's a darn good thing that we don't have a shortage of housing units in this area. Oh... wait...thank goodness for the planning department and the zoning code. Paul Lambie Lowry Hill BTW Gary Hoover wrote: "Housing and work structures must be made more like earthships carefully linked into a larger network." Paul Lambie replies: What in the world is an earthship? I say this with the utmost respect: Am I alone in not getting a whole lot of substance out of Gary's ideas for urban planning? __ Do You Yahoo!? Sign up for SBC Yahoo! Dial - First Month Free http://sbc.yahoo.com ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] RE: Southwest Rail Transit Study Meeting
I attended the SW Rail Transit Meeting out in Eden Prairie last week. I certainly hope and presume that this one at Walker Library will be better attended. There is an important Minneapolis specific issue involved with this proposed rail line. The line will run from Eden Prairie through Minnetonka, Hopkins & St. Louis Park along an existing heavy rail corridor. A definitive path from St. Louis Park to downtown has yet to be established. One option is the Kenilwoth & Cedar Lake corridors which would bypass the vast majority of the potential riders in the neighborhoods between downtown and Lake Calhoun. Another option would be to route the line in through the Midtown Greenway corridor and north to downtown along a yet to be determined course. It is my opinion that if this Southwest rail line is to be built, it would not make much sense to bypass the dense neighborhoods of Uptown, Carag, Lyndale, East Lowry, Lowry Hill, East Isles, etc. It would, however, be the easier path to take by using the existing Kenilworth and Cedar Lake rail corridors. Certainly, it would not be an easy task to win approval of doing something so drastic as eating up two lanes of Hennepin Avenue for light rail. To me though, it seems to be a much better idea than running a train through the sparsely populated areas along the aforementioned corridors, without even considering any negative effects upon the recreational trails along those corridors. I think Minneapolitans need to make sure their voices are heard regarding the alignment proposals for this line. I suspect that there will be some sizable opposition to aligning the route through Uptown & other neighborhoods both by those within these neighborhoods as well as those traveling from the SW suburbs that will prefer a faster trip that makes less stops. They didn't have any free donuts or anything out in Eden Prairie but they will have some informative and eye-catching maps and charts. Paul Lambie Lowry Hill A community meeting regarding the Southwest Rail Transit Study will be held on Tuesday, May 7th from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the Walker Library (2880 Hennepin Avenue). The purpose of the meeting is to present an overview of the study and to solicit comments regarding the potential for rail transit in the Southwest Corridor. For questions, please contact the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority at 612.348-9260. http://www.co.hennepin.mn.us/tcw/ __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health.yahoo.com ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Re: Affordability in Minneapolis (an issue of supply?)
Thanks to Craig Miller for once again giving us the very simple, but apparently much needed, lesson on the law of supply and demand. If you can't afford a particular place to live it must be due to the fact that other people willing and/or able to spend more money also would like to live there. Should we take all the rental properties in the highest demand neighborhoods and award them to people by way of a lottery drawing charging them whatever amount they happen to be able to afford? While it is surprising that Chicago metropolitan areas rents are similar to those in the Twin Cities, it would appear that their region also has an "affordable" housing crisis. From Chicago's Metropolitan Planning Council website: "Rents in the 1990s have continued to outpace the overall rate of inflation." Question: why? Apparent answer: "Overall, the regions population has grown by close to eight percent since 1990 to an estimated 7,829,870 people... in 1999, an increase of 568,694 people. In 1999, there are 1,066,800 rental units in the region... This is a net region-wide decrease of approximately 52,000 rental units since 1990, a 4.6 percent loss." http://www.metroplanning.org/resources/61section3.asp?objectID=61 Thus, the supply of rental units decreased almost 5% while one can assume that there was a supply in the demand for rental units due to an 8% increase in population. Sounds like a supply and demand issue to me. The Chicago Metropolitan Planning Council's conclusion: "Currently, there is little incentive for developers to build rental housing given zoning policies, the cost of land, high property tax rates, and a general preference among local jurisdictions for owner- over renter-occupied properties." This last paragraph is the important one in my opinion. Does anyone see any similarities to Minneapolis here? The April 29th edition of the Southwest Journal has an article featuring an interview with new councilmember Dan Niziolek about the effects of zoning on housing supply in Minneapolis. (Unfortunately, the SW Journal's website did not have the story posted online yet. check www.swjournal.com) It would seem to me that anyone truly concerned about the availability of "affordable" housing in this city should be in favor of "upzoning" to allow more intensive land use in residential areas. Just to be clear, by more intensive, I mean more density. If this city and its citizens honestly desired to lower the cost of housing they would support upzoning ALL of the city's residential areas or (I know this is going to sound drastic) scrapping the zoning restrictions on residential property period. Of course, this isn't going to happen because it would necessitate taking power away from neighbors, not to mention elected officials who must react to negative neighborhood opposition to development proposals such as the one at 53/Lyndale Av S, as well as those neighborhood organizations that we all just couldn't live without. Paul Lambie Lowry Hill __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health.yahoo.com ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Rudeness on the rise (especially evil whitey!)
Matthew Devany wrote: The decay of civility among native born americans, particularly white americans is another issue altogether. I believe it's real, not just anecdotal. And a real problem with costs to society. Isn't this part and parcel of the Christian Right's "moral decay" issue? I agree with them that there are symptoms but not with the diagnosis and certainly not the treament plan. * Why is it that it is always so acceptable (even fashionable) to racially categorize the majority? I wonder if those same people who would classify an entire race as having a propensity to an increase in rudeness would be the same folks to claim that the collective actions of that race have oppressed others. What if I had commented that I had noticed an increase in rudeness among Americans, particularly Black Americans? Would that have gone unchallenged for even a moment? Then, someone PLEASE answer me why it is O.K. to comment on the decay of civility among White Americans. At least some evidence of this charge might be helpful. Speaking for myself, I can say that I believe I have become more civil in recent years, but maybe that's just due to the normal maturation process. Paul Lambie Lowry Hill __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Games - play chess, backgammon, pool and more http://games.yahoo.com/ ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] those poor Houstonites (or are they Houstonians?)
Apparently, Diane has been to Houston and did not care much for it. I have not been to Houston so I cannot personally comment on the atrocious conditions she has described. However, I must wonder, and maybe someone can provide some more detailed information, as to how the area is able to attract and retain so many people to live in such an appalling environment. The U.S. Census bureau counted a population of 1,630,553 within Houston proper in its 1990 census. Are these people being held captive? Is there no avenue for them to tell there government that they need restrictive land use policies to better their lives? Perhaps they choose to stay there because the cost of living (including housing) is cheaper? Paul Lambie Lowry Hill Diane Wiley wrote: This is the problem with people not knowing history or having traveled much -- go to Houston -- I think the operative part is "great for business" -- tell me if you want to live in a sprawling, polluted, no social services, polluted, freeway dominated [yes, even more than here], crime ridden, polluted city. __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] those poor Houstonites (or are they Houstonians?)
Apparently, Diane has been to Houston and did not care much for it. I have not been to Houston so I cannot personally comment on the atrocious conditions she has described. However, I must wonder, and maybe someone can provide some more detailed information, as to how the area is able to attract and retain so many people to live in such an appalling environment. The U.S. Census bureau counted a population of 1,630,553 within Houston proper in its 1990 census. Are these people being held captive? Is there no avenue for them to tell there government that they need restrictive land use policies to better their lives? Perhaps they choose to stay there because the cost of living (including housing) is cheaper? Paul Lambie Lowry Hill Diane Wiley wrote: This is the problem with people not knowing history or having traveled much -- go to Houston -- I think the operative part is "great for business" -- tell me if you want to live in a sprawling, polluted, no social services, polluted, freeway dominated [yes, even more than here], crime ridden, polluted city. __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Habitat for Humanity and local control over development issues
Walt Cygan made a good point about the role that Habitat for Humanity can make in addressing the affordable housing quandary. They have the potential to make great strides in providing quality owner-occupied homes for low-income families. To my knowledge, Habitat for Humanity (the developer), does not request government assistance (taxpayers' money). However, those who comprise the third part of the equation (the city and the neighbors) aren't always very accomodating. Case in point being Habitat's attempt to build two single family homes on a large lot (exact size not known to me, but certainly equivalent to two typical Minneapolis lots) in Apple Valley last year. From my recollection, I believe the city was close to rezoning the parcel to allow two homes rather than just one, until neighborhood dissent quashed that action. Therefore, the end result was that Habitat was only able to build one home rather than two. Thus, there is one less affordable unit in our area today because of the concerns of neighbors. Hooray for good government planning and control. If only this were an isolated incident. -Paul Lambie Paul Lohman wrote: > How much control should the city have and how much > control should landowners and developers have. That's > a discussion that's been going on for a very long time > and obviously will continue to for a very long time. The third leg of this stool is the taxpayer. If subsidies are provided, someone must be paying for it. Sometimes the burden placed on taxpayers is given very little consideration. Perhaps something like the Habitat for Humanity model can be useful. Money from taxpayers can be used to bankroll projects. "Sweat equity" from potential homeowners or apartment acquirers can be used to make the construction or rehab process less costly and lower mortgages/rents. Part of rent and mortgage payments are returned to the fund for further investment, minimizing ongoing taxpayer burden. Does anyone have experience with a process like this? Can donated labor for these projects and reinvested capital and limited subsidies help create a revolving fund to push projects forward? Can this be managed by a non-governmental entity in an efficient way? Or is something like this already happening and I am just blissfully unaware as a homeowner living in the same place for the last 14 years? Or is this just a fantasy? Walt Cygan Keewaydin __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] control over local development issues
As a point of clarification, I do not desire that control over development lie at the city level. I would much prefer that control rest with the landowners, developers, and potential buyers and renters. As wise as councilmembers and neighborhood leaders may be, I believe that market forces, as conveyed by potential buyers and renters, will direct landowners and developers to make decisions that will provide the greatest benefit to the community. Paul Lambie Lowry Hill *** Paul Lohman wrote: First of all "control" is the wrong word to use as neighborhood organizations don't have "control." We simply provide an opinion. "Control" lies, as Mr. Lambie seems to desire, at the City level. *** Paul Lambie wrote: >Most everyone is a believer in NIMBY if it really gets >close enough to them, which is precisely why we need >to take control away from neighbors and neighborhood >groups if we ever wish to see a sizeable amount of >"affordable" housing developed. * __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
Re: [Mpls] affordable housing in our backyards (question for all)
Dear Wiz(?), The response of "Neither" was not intended as an option in this exercise since this question relates to the Marcy Holmes Neighborhood Association's desire to have owner-occupied units rather than low-income rentals on the site across from Metal Matic. It's great that you would prefer to see apartments above retail on Lake Street, as would I. That scenario, however, does not fit the majority of housing opportunities that are not located in heavily traveled commercial corridors. And again, I would contend that 90% would be a conservative estimate of the number of people who would choose the condo redevelopment option over the low-income apartments in the scenario question. Paul Lambie Lowry Hill --- > > > Paul Lambie wrote: > >If a developer knocks on your front door and says, > >"Good evening sir or ma'am. I'm going to redevelop > >the parcel of land right across the street. Would > you > >prefer that I build "affordable" apartments that > will > >be occupied by low-income residents or expensive > >condominium units that will be occupied by > >upper-income residents?" Honestly, which would you > >choose? > >WizardMarks <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Actually, I'm within a very few years of being asked > exactly that > question, since my house is the only house which > abuts Lake Street > between Lake Calhoun and 37th Av. So. The answer to > your question, when > I'm asked, with be "neither." On Lake St. I'd be > happy to have more > housing. I'd like to see store fronts with living > quarters above. People > around me are learning, both natives and immigrants, > how to be shop > keepers in America. The housing could be affordable, > and the shops as > well. Lake Street's petty criminals would find that > merchants had eyes > on the streets and alleys 24-7. There would be more > intentional foot > traffic using the storefronts, coming home from > school, having > visitors--and having a real interest in keeping the > area tidy, doing the > 911 on some folks, etc. > > I actually don't want to live next door or > surrounded by wealthy people > despite the fact that my home's value would > skyrocket, but probably only > if I sold it to someone who would knock it down. > It's not about who they > might be or whatever, but about liking the rythm of > a working class > neighborhohood in a city. For 40 years my uncle was > dropped off by > another railroad employee at 3:30 pm weekdays three > blocks from his > house at the end of a lane. When he turned the > corner onto his block, we > could hear him begin to sing, in a baratone voice so > rich and clear, "Oh > Genevieve, Sweet Genevieve..." to my Aunt Genevieve, > who would, on that > cue, begin cooking supper. > > Somehow I cannot fit that scenario, or any of a > dozen others, into Apple > Valley, or Maple Grove. > WizardMarks, Central > > > > > > > > >Is it really any surprise that we don't see a huge > >supply of "affordable" housing being developed? > > > >Paul Lambie > >Lowry Hill > > > > > > > > > >__ > >Do You Yahoo!? > >Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax > >http://taxes.yahoo.com/ > >___ > >Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic > Discussion - Mn E-Democracy > >Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: > >http://e-democracy.org/mpls > > > > __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] affordable housing in our backyards (question for all)
Dave Polaschek wrote: The reason I feel qualified to speak about this area is that I've lived (as a renter) in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood for 17 of the past 20 years. I regularly walk or bike past the proposed Stone Arch Apartments area and have an idea what it's like. I wouldn't feel qualified to say what should be a given block in Lowry Hill might be, but I think I have an idea of what's in Marcy-Holmes. PL: No, Dave you probably aren't the one to say what a given block in Lowry Hill should look like. Nor am I despite my residence in the neighborhood. Residence in a neighborhood should not give you veto power over what other people choose to do with other parcels of land in your politically defined neighborhood. Oh sure, we all want more affordable housing developed, right? But when it comes down to it, I can just about guarante that 90% of us would not choose to have it go up across the street from our home. Most everyone is a believer in NIMBY if it really gets close enough to them, which is precisely why we need to take control away from neighbors and neighborhood groups if we ever wish to see a sizeable amount of "affordable" housing developed. Question for all affordable housing advocates in favor of strong input from neighborhood associations over development issues: If a developer knocks on your front door and says, "Good evening sir or ma'am. I'm going to redevelop the parcel of land right across the street. Would you prefer that I build "affordable" apartments that will be occupied by low-income residents or expensive condominium units that will be occupied by upper-income residents?" Honestly, which would you choose? Is it really any surprise that we don't see a huge supply of "affordable" housing being developed? Paul Lambie Lowry Hill __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Re: Stone Arch Apts vs. Metal-Matic/Marcy Holmes/Paul Zerby
I know this story has been out there awhile, but the Strib's biz columnist Neal St. Anthony has a lengthy round-up of the Ward 2 battle between Steve Minn's Stone Arch Apartment project and the nearby businesses and neighborhood association. http://www.startribune.com/stories/535/2209073.html David Brauer King Field - Ward 10 ### What a surprise to see a city leader standing in the way of more housing! I'm shocked! Okay, now I'll dispense with the sarcasm. But seriously, how many people in this city who constantly complain that the city needs desperately to do something about the "affordable" housing crisis are going to be in favor of telling the Marcy Holmes Neighborhood Association and Councilmember Paul Zerby that this project is going to happen regardless of their opinions on the matter? Does anyone see a relationship between the growing power of neighborhood organizations and the inability to move forward with redevelopment in the city of Minneapolis? We like to chastise suburban municipalities (and rightfully so) for using their zoning and development approval powers to weed out more moderately priced housing developments by requiring minimum square footage, minimum garage requirements, maximum units per acre, single-family only zoning, etc. However, who are we, citizens of Minneapolis, to preach to others when we don't practice what we preach? Again, the price of housing, like other commodities, is a function of supply and demand. In order to make this commodity more affordable throughout the metropolitan area (and in the city of Minneapolis in particular) we need to increase the supply more quickly than we increase demand. Politicians and bureaucrats, as well as quasi-governmental agencies, i.e. neighborhood organizations, are exacerbating the "affordable" housing crisis rather than addressing, or simply getting of the way and letting the market address the problem. Admittedly, I do not have all the specific information about the details of this project, but it does not seem like a unique situation. I welcome any comments from anyone who would like to tell me why the "neighborhood" should have any say into whether this housing development occurs or not. I use the term neighborhood loosely, because the people who speak on behalf of the neighborhood are certainly a small minority of the neighborhood population who are politically active and have the time to attend neighborhood meetings. I do not know Councilmember Zerby. He may be a swell guy, but it would appear that he would rather pander to some of his constituents rather than welcome some new ones into some badly needed housing conveniently located near existing transportation and jobs. Paul Lambie Lowry Hill __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] RE: Transit and Property Values and more
Michael Hohmann wrote: It should be no surprise that property values will increase near LRT stations. As some have suggested, the ability for a family to eliminate an automobile from the household budget represents significant annual savings, given the cost of ownership/lease, operation and maintenance, parking, license fees and time lost sitting in commute traffic. People should experience a similar effect locating near major bus routes. As long as transit options are clean, safe and efficient from a time and cost perspective, ridership will increase as will the value of proximity. * I just wanted to note that major bus routes do not have the same effect of raising adjacent property values to the extent that rail lines do because they do not have the same permanency. People know moving into the Hiawatha Corridor that trains will be operating frequently to fixed points for many decades to come due to the large investment made in the project. Someone moving to an area along a major bus line does not have the same assurance that bus service will continue to serve the same route, or with the same frequency. The same positive aspect of using buses over rail for public transportation (flexibility to changing routes) is a negative in that is doesn't provide the same type of impetus for development and rising property values. It's similar to the effect that other transportation infrastructure has on development, such as a new highway or freeway. (Developers, businesses, homeowners, etc know that a freeway or a rail line isn't going to be picked up and moved somewhere else.) Bus routes, without accompanying infrastructure investment, do not provide the same value of proximity as rail lines. It is my opinion that a major bus route with a significant capital expenditure for infrastructure such as exclusive bus lanes and comfortable enclosed stations would increase property values in surrounding areas. I believe that the proposed Northwest Bus Corridor could provide a prime example of this principle. Paul Lambie Lowry Hill __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] dirty air in Mpls.
Andy, I certainly hope that you have a solar panel which captures energy from mother nature to power your computer, otherwise we may need to build another power plant in your neighborhood to keep your e-mails coming in to the group. Actually, considering the length of your ranting diatribe, it make take 2 of those murderous power plants. Paul Lambie Lowry Hill Andy Driscoll wrote: Hi Elizabeth, you may want to suggest that the runners bring some tanked > oxygen with them. The air in the Mpls downtown area is looking -to the ey= e- > to be a thick yellow smog. Scorecard.org's stats contend that Hennepin > County is in the top twenty dirty counties in the nation. If any have > breathing difficulties, some athletes are asthmatic but use meds before > events to control symptoms, they really need to be aware of this. St Paul > looks somewhat better- My husband, Dave, does aerial photography and > usually brings me back photos to back the site facts. Many times this glo= p > affects what he has to photograph and many times the shoot has to be > scheduled around the air clarity conditions. Read this carefully, Friends. This is the air our MPCA and present and past state and local governments have allowed to go the way of Pittsburgh and Toledo and Camden. We've spent so many years patting ourselves on the back for our Upper Midwest purity, so many years accepting the big money that polluters feed our politicians that we may never breathe freely again - without medical attention. And still they want to build more power plants. And still the State of Minnesota, its Pollution Control Agency and local governments refuse to sto= p the polluters from killing us. And still they plop down refineries in the middle of our neighborhoods and refuse to close them when they so clearly threaten our lives. Overly dramatic? I submit that it is not. This air we breathe is slowly but surely destroying our innards, feeding ou= r lungs the asthma, emphysema, cancer and asbestosis - among other illnesses = - killing us slowly with their corruption of the air and politicians. And what is their mantra for doing nothing? Nothing to stop this? Jobs. Always jobs. This chant that business and government sing, that word that has allowed big labor and big business and politicians to turn their backs on the health of their own workers and on the very livability of our communities =AD those jobs they couldn't care less about otherwise =AD is without exaggeration - murdering people as they walk and work and sleep. We are long past time when the palpable pollution these agencies and truste= d officials choose to ignore must be addressed as a crisis of massive proportions. Feeling overwhelmed? As we all must be. As I write this, the sun is out, th= e sky blue-ish. It's a deception and a day that can urge us to postpone the hard work of reversing the entire system of life-sustaining air quality control. St. Paul, Minneapolis, Hennepin and Ramsey Counties and the State of Minnesota must be pushed to the brink =AD quickly. Stop the killing. Andy Driscoll Saint Paul __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Greetings - send holiday greetings for Easter, Passover http://greetings.yahoo.com/ ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] (no subject)
Kudos to you sir. I couldn't agree more. How can Minneapolitans and St. Paulites preach to the suburbs about not approving "affordable" housing proposals when they veto them here for a whole host of reasons which can only be categorized as social engineering? On a similar note, is not the housing crisis simply a matter of a shortage of housing overall, not a shortage of so-called "affordable" housing? All housing is affordable to someone or else it would be vacant. Is it not simply that whenever there is less than enough housing units to go around that those of the least economic means are obviously going to be the ones priced out of the market? Would not a policy of merely supporting the construction of the most possible units be the best approach rather than attempting to mandate how much units should rent for? It seems to me that if there were enough housing units built to match the number of potential households, there would then be a housing unit that would be affordable to each household whether they be rich, middle-class, or low-income. I don't believe that property owners would tolerate a double-digit vacancy rate without lowering their rents to what the market (i.e. renters) are willing and able to pay. Correct me if my reasoning is flawed, but it would seem that attempts to ensure that a certain percentage of new housing units are affordable to households with the lowest incomes is going to squeeze out middle-class households that otherwise might have occupied those units if they were sold or leased at the market rate. I just think people should realize that these forced subsidizations come on the backs of the middle-class and not the rich. No rich person is going to be priced out of the market for a nice, clean apartment because of these affordable housing developments. But what about the working person (or family) who makes just too much to qualify for a "affordable" unit but can hardly afford a place without assistance? Where do we draw the line as to how many households we are going to subsidize? Paul Lambie Lowry Hill ### Snip What possible basis could there be > to deny the variance/upzoning for a project that serves the middle class, > but grant it for the very same project because slightly poorer people will > live there? If there is any basis, wouldn't that allow neighborhoods, or > entire cities, to do exactly the reverse? Could Lynnhurst adopt a policy to > deny variances and upzonings unless they kept rents above "affordable" > levels? Could Edina adopt such a policy? Could Willard-Hay adopt such a > policy, on the basis that putting more affordable housing there is further > segregating our population? Several cities (I'm not making this up) will > not grant approvals to housing projects if the developer can't show that the > units will pay for themselves in terms of taxes paid for services required. > This is an absolute bar to affordable housing. > If Kingfield can adopt the policy you cite (deny if it's not affordable > enough), then what is to keep other jurisdictions from adopting similar > "policies du jour" to combat the social crises of the day? Would you grant > a variance to a pillar of the community and deny the same to a newcomer? > Would you grant it to a bank-financed project but deny it to a cash buyer? > Grant it to a project with public art but deny it to a project with a > swingset instead? I can't even think what's at the end of the slippery > slope you are headed down, but it seems to be the same logic that would lead > to granting it for a U.S. citizen but not a non-citizen, or granting it for > a Christian but not an atheist (or a Muslim), or granting it for an owner > who promises to give the profits to charity but not an owner who will use > them for his children's college. Would you grant it for an abortion clinic? > Do you think that people in Minnesota's pro-life hotbeds should be able > to deny zoning approvals for their social engineering reasons? Could a city that bars > "miscegenation" force a developer to keep apartments single-race? Berlet > residents? Bar unmarried couples from cohabitating? You may think these > are outlandish, but an unmarried cohabitation ban was litigated last year, > and I guarantee thousands of cities out there would do everything in their > power to deny approvals to any building aimed at serving GLBT folks. > These things are all completely unrelated to the impact the building has on > its surroundings. They are unrelated to any public health, safety, or > welfare factor. Once you start regulating for what you believe is the > social good, you open the door to every other interpretation of what is the &
[Mpls] $10 million question
On Mon, 25 Mar 2002, Gregory Luce wrote: > So, the City seems to be en route to recommend contribution of up to $10 > million toward the building of a new professional baseball stadium, with > the County also part of the plan. > > Well, I have a $10 million question: > > Where's the $10 million for working families and adults who live in > homeless shelters every night? > > Post your $10 million questions here (even if it is "Where's my $10 > million?") and we'll collect them and send them on to the Mayor. ### I hope you'll all be really happy when the Twins are gone from downtown Minneapolis. Then, we can shoo away those annoying Vikings, Gophers, and Timberwolves, because we've got so many more pressing concerns. After that, we can quit funding other cultural amenities like all the theatres downtown. Then, when everyone with a dollar in their pocket looking for some entertainment is forced to go to St. Paul or the suburbs, we can make downtown Minnapolis a haven for the homeless and other downtrodden folks. We'll have so much tax money to spend on them with these entertainment venues gone that we can build a shelter or social services building on every corner. Oh wait, you don't think our tax revenues will dip at all, do you? Paul Lambie Lowry Hill __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Movies - coverage of the 74th Academy Awards® http://movies.yahoo.com/ ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Cub attracted by LRT
It would be cool if Cub could abandon their typical suburban big-box format for a trendy, urban, pedestrian-friendly design, but why should that include plenty of green space? Green space is sprawl, much like a parking lot. It makes little difference whether I must walk across asphalt or around a wetland (a.k.a. swamp) to get where I am going. If we would quit worrying about preserving wetlands and open space we would prevent more sprawl. Why is it that the same people who are always touting smart growth and more density don't see the contradiction between that philosophy and the desire to preserve open space and not fill in any wetlands? __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Movies - coverage of the 74th Academy Awards® http://movies.yahoo.com/ ___ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
